What Does It Mean To Be Human?
What Does It Mean To Be Human? According to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, “Part of what it means to be human is how we became human. Over a long period of time, as early humans adapted to a changing world, they evolved certain characteristics that help define our species today.” Some of these characteristics include, walking upright on two feet, larger and more complex brains, and a social life that not every living organism has or can do. Although this is more of a physical take on what makes each person a human, there is also a complete and separate part of the human race that makes us human; and that part is our intellectual being. All our thoughts, feelings, emotions, takes on life, and opinions all go into figuring out who we are, what we live for, and what makes us different from animals, trees, or birds. Along with the fact each human has their own thoughts and feelings, also means there are different takes on what makes each person human. Who we are can start at, but not limit to how the Bible, Paul Tillich, and Gilgamesh perceive human life and what truly makes us who we are. The Bible is a very old, and very credible source that still holds truth to this day. Through out the book of Genesis, being human is in a very literal sense. It describes in great detail about the features of a human. In Genesis 1:27 God goes to say “So God created humankind in his own image..” (The New Oxford Annotated Bible, Genesis 1-12). God then describes the job that each and every human is to do every day, and that includes taking care of the land, animals, and providing for himself. Man was created to serve. Human ambition for the purpose of serving oneself certainly cannot provide anyone with the fulfillment they are seeking. There are many examples of people who became famous and wealthy, only to find there is no fulfillment in personal ambition. (Criswell)
Later on in the book, it goes on to say how the snake tempted
Cited: Daniel Criswell, Ph.D. 2006. What Makes Us Human?. Acts & Facts. 35 (1).
"Who Am I? What Does It Mean to Be Human?" The Theosophical Society in America. The Theosophical Society, n.d. Web. 08 Feb. 2014.
"Introduction to Human Evolution." Human Evolution by The Smithsonian Institution 's Human Origins Program. The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, 06 Feb. 2014. Web. 08 Feb. 2014.
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Genesis. The New Oxford Annotated Bible. 4th ed. New York: Oxford UP, 2010. Print.
Mason, Herbert. Gilgamesh. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1970. Print.
Tillich, Paul. The Nature Of Religion and Some Problems Of Religious Language (n.d.): 1-4. Web. 08 Feb. 2014.